


Thought for Food

by Jarofsunshine



Series: Angella and Adora [3]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Adora doesn't understand Brightmoon concepts, Gen, Good Parent Angella (She-Ra), The Horde sucks, otherwise known as a non-toxic evironment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26457007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jarofsunshine/pseuds/Jarofsunshine
Summary: Adora thought she knew what hungry meant. That is, until she defected from the Horde and moved to Brightmoon. Angella helps her with that.
Relationships: Adora & Angella (She-Ra), Adora & Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Bow (She-Ra), Adora & Glimmer (She-Ra), Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra)
Series: Angella and Adora [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1920127
Comments: 11
Kudos: 132





	Thought for Food

Adora knew what hunger felt like. She remembered it from many instances in her childhood. Shadow Weaver always made sure she never went without, which usually saved her from any ration related punishments that the rest of her peers had to deal with, but that didn't stop Adora from willingly giving up her rations. She often skipped dinners with Catra, spending the time talking in secret with the young feline. Whenever someone on her squad was hungry, she was always the first one to offer up her ration bars. Sometimes, she wouldn’t eat because of the guilt she felt when looking at other cadets who had their rations taken away. Sometimes, she just wouldn’t eat at all, for no real reason at all.

Hunger seemed to have a different meaning in the rebellion. There was always a surplus of food readily available for anyone and everyone who wanted some. There were no conditions, no restrictions, no constant monitoring. Not to mention, all of the foods here were so flavorful and diverse, at least compared to the familiar grey and brown that she grew up with. She often heard people throwing around the word hunger all the time. It took her awhile to figure out the new meaning of feeling hungry. 

Once, Glimmer had made a comment in passing about how hungry she was, leaving Adora worried for her friend:

“I am so hungry right now! I swear I’m going to starve if I don’t get some food soon!” That night, Adora had pushed her plate across the table towards Glimmer. Glimmer looked up confused. “What did you do that for?” she had asked. 

“You said you were hungry earlier, so I figured you might want more.” Everyone at the table gave her a strange look. Glimmer smiled at her and gently pushed the plate back.

“I was hungry, but I’m okay now that I’ve gotten some food. You can eat your food. It wasn’t like I was starving or anything.” Adora took the plate back, but couldn’t stop thinking about it. Glimmer had said she was going to starve, but wasn’t actually starving? Princesses were confusing.

Adora still didn’t quite understand the casualty around food. She didn’t think she would ever quite understand it. Right now, the best friend squad was returning home late from a mission, much later than the kitchen staff would likely stay up. Angella greeted them at the gates, hugging her daughter when they approached. “I’m sure you’re all very tired, so off to bed with you.” She had said it sternly, but with a warm smile. They followed her orders, each retreating to their own rooms for sleep. At least, that’s what Adora thought they had done. About five minutes after separating from each other, Bow and Glimmer suddenly appeared at the foot of her bed in a fit of sparkles.

“What are you guys doing here? Is something wrong? Do we need She ra?” Adora jumped out of bed when she saw them, fumbling around for her weapon.

“No! Nothing like that!” Glimmer was quick to sway her worries before she grabbed the sword. “We just felt like getting a midnight snack and thought you might want to come with.”

“A midnight what?”

“Just come on!” Before she could respond, Glimmer had taken hold of her arm and teleported the three of them to the kitchen. Clapping her hands excitedly, the younger girl started running around the room. She grabbed a stool from the side of the room and placed it in front of the cabinets before she climbed on top of it and stood up. She felt around the top of the cabinets before pulling her hand back, holding up a medium-sized package. “Aha!”

“Good,” Bow said, holding on to the bottom of the stool to steady it. “Now, please get down. I get nervous everytime you stand on that stool.” Glimmer teleported back down to the floor, opening the package the moment she materialized.

“What are those?” Adora asked.

“My Mom’s favorite cookies, which also happen to be my favorite cookies.” Glimmer told her as she shoved one of the cookies in her mouth. “She changes their hiding spot every other week, but I always find them.”

“Here, Adora. Try one.” Bow held out a bag of white, rounded squares. Adora looked at him hesitantly as she reached in the bag and pulled out one of the fluffy squares, slipping it into her mouth.

“Oh my gosh.” Adora’s eyes went wide and she dug into the bag for another. And then another. And another. And then a handful that she shoved into her mouth all at once, making her cheeks expand. Glimmer and Bow laughed hysterically at the sight. Adora probably would have laughed too if she hadn't had sixteen marshmallows in her mouth.

“What is going on here?” A commanding voice interrupted their laughter. They all spun around, their attention on where the voice had come from. Queen Angella was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, looking down at them with a scolding stare. Adora froze in panic.

“Busted,” Bow croaked.

“Hi, Mom!” Glimmer quickly hid the cookies behind her back. “We were just, uh— We were just…” She trailed off, unable to find a made up excuse. Angella walked over to Glimmer and snatched the cookies from behind her daughter’s back.

“You were just sneaking into the kitchen at midnight for snacks?” She stated, more so than asked.

“Yeah,” Glimmer sighed. “That.” Adora felt the nostalgic urge to jump up and take the blame, accept whatever punishment she needed to, so she acted on it.

“I’m so sorry, Your Majesty. It was my fault. I swear it’ll never happen again. Please, don’t be mad. We—”

“I’m not upset, Adora.” Adora blinked in confusion. She— she wasn’t mad? “I’m annoyed with my daughter because she ate nearly half of my favorite cookies, but I’m not mad.”

“Oh.” Adora visibly shrunk, confused and embarrassed.

“Why would she be mad, Adora?” Bow asked, putting a cautious arm around her shoulder. Adora didn’t answer. What could she have said that wouldn’t make her sound stupid? After a moment of deafening silence, Queen Angella cleared her throat.

“Now that you’ve had you’ve had your snacks, I think it’s time to go to bed, don’t you?” Adora gratefully took the out, bidding everyone a good night and sprinting off to her room. She slept fitfully, childhood memories of getting caught sneaking ration bars for younger cadets flooding her mind. She thought that was the end of it, that what happened last night would just slip away from their minds. That’s what she hoped for anyways. Yet, that was certainly not the case. Angella was sitting at the dining table alone the next morning, almost expectantly.

“Good morning, Adora,” the tall woman chimed. “Why don’t you come sit and eat with me?” It was a little more than just an offer, given that there was already a plate sitting in the chair next to her. Adora sat down, somewhat concerned at the odd invitation. The queen continued to eat, so Adora picked up her fork.

“Do you know where Bow and Glimmer are?” Adora asked, striking conversation. “I checked their rooms but no one was there.”

“Ah, yes. I sent them to take care of some duties for me in the village about an hour ago. They should be back within the next quarter,” Angella explained. Adora hummed in acknowledgment, moving the food on her plate around with her fork. “Are you not hungry? You’re picking at your food.”

“Oh, sorry!” Adora apologized, quickly shoveling a forkful of food in her mouth. The queen laughed softly.

“There’s no need to apologize. It was only an observation.” She smiled at Adora with kind eyes, and Adora smiled back. “Would you feel comfortable sharing more about your time in the Horde with me?” Adora dropped her fork, sending it clattering against the plate. Angella could swear that she heard the girl curse under her breath as she scrambled to gather her composure again.

“Um, yeah, sure.” She answered. “What do you want to know, Your Majesty?”

“Tell me about what eating in the Horde was like.” Adora bit her lip, inhaling deeply. “That is, only if you would like to." Angella quickly added.

“Well, most of the time, you would wait in line to get your ration bars, and then you’d have ten minutes to eat them, and then you would resume the daily activities,” Adora explained. Angella nodded as she took a sip from her cup. “Sometimes, I missed the meal marks, whenever Catra didn’t eat, or when I gave my ration tickets to someone who had theirs taken away.” Angella raised her brows, resisting the urge to spit out her drink.

“I’d imagine that missing what was already such a small meal would make you hungry?” Adora nodded, then shook her head, then nodded again.

“Maybe? I think? I’m not completely sure what that word means anymore,” she confessed. The older woman moved her chair so that she was closer to Adora and put a gentle hand on her knee.

“Do you know the difference between hungry and hunger, Adora?” Adora blinked at her, but said nothing. Angella continued, taking Adora’s response as a definite no, which was the answer she expected. “I can’t say anything from personal experience, seeing as I technically don’t need to eat, but my husband told me about the difference a long time ago. He said that hungry is temporary, that it only lasts until your next meal or snack. Hungry is a short-lived necessity. It is our body’s first warning sign. Hunger, on the other hand, can last your whole life. Micah told me that hunger often came with a mindset and life-long impacts. It comes when hungry has failed time and time again and just gave up trying.” She smiled a warm smile— a motherly smile— at Adora. “Does that make any sense, Adora?” Adora looked as though she was furiously scribbling down notes on everything Angella had just said in her mind, which, really, she probably was.

“I think so,” she said, nodding very focused and intently.

“So did you ever feel hunger while living in the Fright Zone?” Angella asked, not sure if she was ready for the answer she was bound to get.

“I think so, yeah.” Adora said it so casually, that it pulled at Angella’s heart. She had, in fact, not been ready for the answer. However, she didn’t let it show. She only nodded, encouraging Adora to say more. “Sometimes, when I gave away too many of my rations or skipped too many meals, my head would get dizzy and I would feel this dull pain in my stomach. But it was worth it.” Adora didn’t explain any further after that, and the queen didn’t push her to. Adora didn’t want to talk about the bony younger cadets that got in trouble often, or how her squad mates would be disoriented during training when they had been restricted for too long, or the way a chorus of empty stomachs would rumble at night in the bunks. Angella’s heart ached for this girl. As a mother, she couldn’t imagine letting any child, let alone a child such as Adora, go without. It was a devastating thought.

“You are always welcome to anything our kitchen has to offer. You’ll never need to worry about hunger ever again. Not as long as I walk on Etheria.” As she spoke, Angella pulled Adora into an awkward embrace. It was an uncomfortable position, sure, but, from the way Adora melted into her arms, she figured it was a needed action.

Glimmer and Bow returned soon after that moment, but nothing was ever said to them beyond the fact that Adora and Angella had eaten breakfast together. Angella would always respect Adora’s want for privacy around her vulnerable moments, and Adora admired her for that. She’d tell her friends one day, but for now, she was okay with it being between her and Angella.


End file.
